You can't have superheroes without supervillains. In order to be great superhero, you have to have great supervillains. Some villains' notoriety elevates them to higher standards. Other villains can become throwaway characters only with very few comic appearances.
Each month we take a look at some bad guys that have sometimes been written in a...bad way. These villains often come across as laughable and rarely are seen as a threat. That shouldn't necessarily be the case. Some of those villains have the potential to be something truly great.
The focus this month is on the low-grade villain known as Tick Tock.
He doesn't have a flashy costume and is far from having a superhero physique as well. He is a villain that most have never heard of. He's spent most of his time with Night Shift, a villainous team many haven't heard of either. Given the proper handling, Tick-Tock could become a major villain in the Marvel Universe.
== TEASER ==What's his story?
Tick Tock was first seen SPIDER-WOMAN #50 working for a former escape artist now known as Locksmith. Locksmith's plan was superheroes in specially designed prison cells for each hero. Using Tick Tock, he could get an idea which hero was about to make an escape and could prevent it (except when Spider-Woman managed to escape by switching costumes with Gypsy Moth, which resulted in them being placed in the cell designed to contain the other).
Tick Tock later joined the Night Shift, a group of villains led by the Shroud (as his way to infiltrate the criminal underworld) and continued to be part of the team when Snapdragon approached them and they were hired by Count Nefaria to kill Moon Knight. That may not have gone too well for Tick Tock but there's always a way for characters to come back.
Why he has potential
Tick Tock has the ability to see into the future. More so, he can see all the possible future that could happen in the next sixty seconds. A minute may not sound like much but with enough focus, he could learn to be prepared on a moment's notice. Taking matters a minute at a time allows him to navigate through the safest path when hatching an evil scheme. If forced to face off against a superhero, he should know where the hero will go and where they'll be standing. He simply needs to avoid that spot or be prepared to unleash a counter move.
Tick Tock may not have even been the most fit individual but he did seem to be trying to get in better shape (at least it looked like he got a slight makeover in the pages of MOON KNIGHT). Tick Tock could learn to defend himself or, if necessary, carry some sort of weaponry to protect himself. If a villain is going to throw a punch at him, he has a full minute to dodge and prepare for it.
The nature of his powers hasn't fully been explored. He might be limited to only seeing sixty seconds into the future but perhaps with some training, focus and discipline, it's possible he could expand the time frame. If he could see further into the future and see all the possible outcomes along with the probabilities of each happening, he could become a formidable opponent.
Knowing what could possibly happen would be a great power. Knowing what could possibly happen would be a great asset to supervillains. They would know the best places to rob and could know when possible run-ins with superheroes are close.
Of course in the case of Tick Tock, he only has the ability to see sixty seconds into the future. Perhaps if he could stretch out this time limit, he could reach his full potential and become the villain he deserves to be. His last meeting with Count Nefaria didn't go too well but he should have been able to see that coming as well. Tick Tock deserves a chance to be a better villain.